


Santa Tell Me

by Burgie



Series: 12 Days of Ficsmas 2017 [4]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 14:03:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13032702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Justin and Zelda spend a hard Christmas alone. Zelda belongs to ZDusk, Izabella belongs to hollow_moon, and Jack belongs to SSO-Jack-Wolfwatcher.





	Santa Tell Me

The snow hadn’t come to Jorvik this year. Justin supposed that he should be thankful for that. At least his cell wouldn’t be as cold. And he wouldn’t miss out on sledding with Maya, or skiing with Loretta, or ice skating with Zelda…

But tears still came to his eyes and ran down his cheeks as Justin covered his face with his hands. Last Christmas, Justin had at least had family. But this Christmas…

He had no one. Not his father, not his grandfather. Certainly not his girlfriend. The druids forbid him from having any visitors, and did everything they could to keep him isolated. In isolation, nobody could brainwash him. But nobody could comfort him, either. Not when the nightmares came, or when the druids interrogated him for information that he didn’t have. Not when he just needed someone, anyone, to hold him and tell him that he wasn’t alone in the universe. That he wasn’t a bad person. That the only person who hated him was himself.

Alone in his cell, Justin wept, feeling more alone than ever.

Zelda’s hands shook as she tried to push an earring through her earlobe. It was shaped and coloured like a peppermint, so Phantom would undoubtedly try eating it, but she didn’t care. Maybe it might make her laugh, or smile. Something had to.

A large part of Zelda knew how selfish she was being. How dare she grieve for Justin, when surely Thomas must be grieving as well? She pursed her lips in a grim line as she finally succeeded in pushing the thin metal through the tiny hole. It stung a bit, but it wasn’t bleeding. So far, anyway. As Zelda looked at herself, she tried to stop the world from tilting out from under her feet. Justin wasn’t here, he was in jail. And the only person who could let him out was currently comatose.

“Please, Fripp, wake up,” Zelda whispered, wiping tears from her eyes. She was glad that she’d forgeone makeup. “I’ll take back everything I said about you if you just… wake up and free him.” Her body trembled, and she let out a sob, her face crumpling as she leaned over the basin, gripping the sides of it tightly.

She kept it together around her friends, usually. They didn’t need to see how much it was killing her to have Justin so unreachable. She knew where he was, yes, but… from one prison to another. Zelda squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears, but they just kept coming. Justin should be here. He had been here, just a few months ago, but then…

Damn Fripp. What did he know about family? About love? Nothing, apparently.

A knock at the bathroom door finally drew Zelda out of her little pity party, and she took a deep breath and straightened up, quickly wiping her face with a towel.

“Yeah?” Zelda called. “I’m not naked, you can come in.”

“Hi,” said Louisa, opening the door and stepping inside. She wore a cute little red and black Christmas dress and little matching ballet slippers. “Um, Dizzy wants to know if you’re still coming.” Zelda sniffed.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” said Zelda. “I’ve just gotta…” She looked around on the vanity, trying to find the makeup that she’d intended to put on.

“Your face is all blotchy, and your eyes are red,” said Louisa. “It must be hard, huh?”

“How hard was it for you last Christmas?” asked Zelda, not trying to swipe but only wanting to know how to deal with this loneliness.

“At least you know where he is,” said Louisa. More than any other words, any consoling, that knowledge that it could have been worse finally brought Zelda out from under that dark cloud. “But it was… I’ve never felt so lonely before. All my family but dad are at home. I didn’t have you guys.” Her voice broke, and Zelda swept her friend into a hug, letting her compose herself.

“I’m glad I have you guys,” said Zelda when Louisa pulled away from her. “At least with you around, it won’t be quite so lonely.”

“We actually decided as a group to leave our significant others at home,” said Louisa. “Just for you.”

“You didn’t have to,” said Zelda, even as part of her felt relieved that at least she wouldn’t have to be in amongst all the happy couples smooching under mistletoe and sharing food and drink.

“It would’ve been a dick move if we did,” said Louisa. “Is my makeup okay?”

“You’re good at holding in the tears,” said Zelda, giving her a quick check. “Time to do my own.”

When the two of them finally descended the stairs into the main foyer of the Moorland house (which doubled as an inn), Zelda immediately caught eyes with Thomas Moorland, who stood over by the fire with a glass of eggnog, one hand in his pocket, staring down into his glass with a solemn expression on his face despite the cheery Christmas sweater and Christmas cracker hat he wore. He nodded to her when he saw her, and Zelda felt that sadness ebb away just a little more.

“There you are, finally,” said Izabella, and Zelda could tell that she was frowning beneath the chicken mask. “What were you doing up there?”

“Getting ready,” said Zelda with a shrug, although everyone could see the truth in the way she didn’t stand as tall.

“There’s a gingerbread house over here, let’s go destroy it,” said Jack, taking her hand, and Zelda allowed herself to be led over to the display that housed the gingerbread house. Beside it was a gingerbread castle, and also a gingerbread manor. Little gingerbread horses were arrayed around outside them.

“They’re cute,” said Zelda, smiling. She took her phone out of her purse (she had no jeans to put it in today, after all) and snapped a few photos.

Fortunately, during the party, Zelda felt that darkness recede more and more. She sang along badly to carols, danced with her friends (including what Liv dubbed a Fully Sick dance party to Jingle Bell Rock), and nobody mentioned Justin. Though it was obvious that he was missing. There was nobody going between the groups to chat or provide refreshments. Nobody to make goofy jokes. Nobody to hold Zelda’s hand and pull her under the mistletoe (at least, nobody who meant it in the romantic sense, her friends all took turns giving and receiving slobbery cheek kisses underneath the mistletoe). Nobody to wear an ugly Christmas sweater that put his father’s to shame.

But after the party, after her friends left along with the rest of the party guests, Zelda curled up in an armchair, one which had been occupied by most of the party by Mrs Holdsworth. The old woman had also gone home, possibly to start coming up with recipes. Thomas headed upstairs to his room, leaving Zelda alone. And, alone, the tears came back. The dark cloud crashed down on her again, smothering the flickering light of happiness, and she rested her head on the arm of the chair and sobbed. She didn’t care how stupid she looked. How her dress rode up.

She just… she wanted Justin. Needed him. Now more than ever.


End file.
